By Timothy W. Burnett
According to Mark 15:3-5 and Matthew 27:13-14, Pilate questioned Jesus Christ again. This time Jesus was silent. Pilate "marveled greatly" over Jesus' silent restraint, while facing false accusations by his people.
In Luke 23:13-15, Pilate addressed the chief priests, rulers and the people. He said, "you have brought this man unto me, as one that perverts the people: and behold, I having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof you accuse him. No, nor yet Herod. For I sent you to him, and nothing worthy of death is done unto him."
All three Gospels record Pilate's discourse with the Jewish leaders concerning the release of Jesus. This is found in Matthew 27:15-26, Mark 15:6-15, Luke 23:16-25 and John 18:39-40. Pilate offered to free Jesus Christ, but the Jewish leaders cried out, "Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas" (Luke 23:18 and John 18:40). Barabbas was a robber or highway bandit (John 18:40). He was imprisoned for murder during an insurrection in the city (Mark 15:7 and Luke 23:19). According to Matthew 27:16, Barabbas was a "notable prisoner."
Matthew 27:15, Mark 15:6, Luke 23:17 and John 18:39 reveal that Pilate had a tradition of releasing one prisoner to the people for the feast of Passover. Knowing their envy, Pilate asked them, "Do you want me to release unto you the King of the Jews?" The chief priests moved or vehemently stirred up the people to call for the release of Barabbas. Pilate asked again, "What will you then that I shall do unto him whom you call the King of the Jews? And they cried out again, 'Crucify him.'" Then Pilate said, "Why, what evil has he done?" And the people cried more exceedingly to crucify him. Three times, Pilate entreated the people to let him release Jesus to them, and three times they cried out to crucify him.
The record in Matthew 27:19 adds some new information. While Pilate was sitting on the judgement seat, his wife told him to have nothing to do with "that just man." She said, "For I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him." She had the eyes to see that Jesus Christ was a "just man," and it grieved her to the point of having a bad dream about him. The record does not indicate whether or not God played a role in her dream. But her account was important enough to include in the Gospels.
According to Matthew 27:24, when Pilate saw he could not prevail over the people's will, he washed his hands before the people and said, "I am innocent of the blood of this just person. You see to it." Then the people declared, "his blood is on us, and on our children." Pilate was a just ruler, and did the best that he could to judge rightly. But he still had to be good for his word. And since he promised to release the people's choice of prisoners, he had to back his word.
The Jewish leaders and people did not know that the blood of Jesus Christ could truly cleanse them of all unrighteousness some day.
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